


Basic Physics

by sunalso



Category: Captain Marvel (2019)
Genre: F/F, Five Kisses, Fluff and Mush, Mostly Canon Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-06-03 01:12:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19453303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunalso/pseuds/sunalso
Summary: Five times Maria and Carol kiss, before, during, and after canon. A love that exists among the stars and at home.Beta'd by [redacted]. Written for Not Prime Time 2019





	Basic Physics

**Author's Note:**

  * For [scintilla10](https://archiveofourown.org/users/scintilla10/gifts).



**First Kiss**

Loud music, bad beer, and good company were all Carol wanted after a successful test flight mission. Pancho’s always felt just right, and it was small, so everyone had to crowd together, and nobody paid attention to how close Carol was standing to Maria. Not even Maria.

Carol drank more bad beer. At least it was cold.

Maria finished up a not-the-best version of _Jessie’s Girl_ and walked over to Carol.

“This night’s a blast,” Maria said. “But want to get some air?”

“Sure!” Carol guzzled her beer as she followed Maria towards the front of her bar. Dropping the bottle into the trash can beside the door, Carol stepped outside.

Even though it was after dark, the air was hot and invasive as always. It was no wonder only people that had to live here did so. Which made it a good place to test top-secret aircraft, and pretty much terrible for anything else.

They walked around the side of the building, and Maria leaned back against the wall while Carol stood a little ways away, and tilted her head back. She couldn’t see the stars, just the orange glow of the bar’s lights.

“You think we’ll ever make it up there?” she asked.

“Hell if I know. But flying test aircraft has got to mean something. NASA likes that kind of thing. Monica would love me being an astronaut.”

“She would. Or maybe it’ll be her that goes into space.”

“Could be. She’s probably going to grow up and kick our butts when it comes to flying.”

Carol dropped her eyes to Maria’s face. Maria was gazing at her in that soft and warm way Carol rarely saw, but when she did it always made her insides melt. Maria didn’t look away as Carol studied her.

“Hey,” Carol said.

“Hey.” Maria’s voice was a little rough. The emotions flickering over her face seemed to match what Carol was feeling. A thousand tiny moments trickled through her consciousness. Soft touches, high fives, long looks. All the things that led up to this moment, when Maria had asked her to go outside.

Carol took a step towards her.

Maria didn’t flinch. “I, uh, I wanted to tell you something.”

“But you couldn’t ask?”

Maria nodded and reached out to touch the hem of Carol’s sleeve. “Don’t ask, don’t tell.”

All the tumblers in Carol’s heart clicked into place. “Okay. I’ll show you.”

Carol cupped Maria’s face, and leaned in, brushing their lips together. It was delicate, a tenuous connection, but when Carol started to break it, Maria’s mouth followed hers. The kiss became more demanding. More needed.

Carol wasn’t standing in the desert’s blast furnace beside a grungy bar anymore. She was sailing among the stars, taken there by the soft mouth against her own.

She was flying.

Maria broke the kiss and pressed her cheek to Carol’s.

All the love Carol had been storing away in the corner of her heart grew and burst into bloom. For so long she’d thought Maria hadn’t noticed her. She’d never been so happy to be so wrong.

Carol slid her arms around Maria’s neck. “Count me as being showed.”

* * *

**Christmas Kiss**

Matching pajamas had been Maria’s idea, and she couldn’t have been happier about how the day was going.

Monica loved Carol living with them and had easily accepted the change from Carol being an occasional overnight guest to becoming a permanent part of the family.

Standing at the stove, Maria stirred the milk as she waited for it to heat for hot cocoa.

Being this happy should be impossible. Her job was amazing, and even if it sometimes galled her that she couldn’t fly combat missions, being a test pilot made far better use of her skills than just doing an occasional show of strength flight over enemy territory.

“What are you thinking about?” Carol asked as she shuffled into the kitchen in her new slippers.

“Cocoa and how lucky we are to be assigned to this project.”

Carol yawned. “We are. The tech we’re getting to use is lightyears beyond what the regular Air Force has.” She set down three mugs on the counter. One had a NASA logo, and the other two had constellations printed on the side.

Maria smiled. Carol’s dreams of the stars were never far away. She’d get there, Maria was sure. When Carol became determined to do something, she did it. Which, thankfully, included having the kind of relationship that Maria hadn’t thought would be possible. Not because they didn’t love each other or have chemistry, but because neither the military nor the rest of society were kind to people who were different from the norm.

Carol dumped cocoa powder into the cups, and Maria carefully poured the milk into the mugs. She put the pan back on the stove after checking that the burner was off and turned to find Carol standing very close, with her hand behind her back.

“You forgot to put one of the decorations, up,” Carol said.

“It this a lame mistletoe thing?”

Carol made a face. “It’s not lame.” She brought the plastic mistletoe out from behind her back and held it over her head. “See?”

“Still lame, but I’ll kiss you anyway.”

Maria kissed her, and Carol put a hand on Maria’s back and tugged her closer. She tasted of peppermint and chocolate, and Maria darted her tongue over the mix on Carol’s lips.

Maria broke the kiss. “Someone’s been eating candy.” She didn’t move back, and Carol kept her lips a centimeter away from Maria’s.

“It’s Christmas. I get to do what I want.”

“And what’s that?”

“Kissing my girlfriend under the mistletoe.”

Maria’s heart gave the funny beat it did whenever she heard Carol call her that. It felt right.

Carol shook the mistletoe and puckered her lips.

Maria gave her a peck, and Carol pouted.

“Later,” Maria said. “We’ve got so much time, and I don’t want this cocoa to go cold, or Monica will be whiney.”

“Ack, no, no cool chocolate.” Carol tossed the mistletoe aside and grabbed two mugs. “We better hurry, Rudolph is about to start from the sounds of things.”

It was Monica’s favorite Christmas VHS tape.

They sat together on the couch. “Would you ever want to glow and fly?” Monica asked, looking at Maria and Carol.

Maria rolled her eyes. “We already fly. And I don’t need to glow to do it.”

“She’s got you there,” Carol said, hugging Monica. “And I’ll pass on having Rudolph’s nose. You don’t need that kind of glow in order to shine.”

* * *

**You’re Alive Kiss**

It was too humid.

Carol couldn’t stop thinking that. The Louisiana air was damp and heavy and smelled like growing things.

Monica and Fury had started towards the house already, but Maria was just staring at her.

Carol didn’t know what to say. There was a hollow spot under her breastbone that felt like it was waiting to be filled.

Maria slowly walked over and lifted a hand to trace of the star on her Kree armor.

“I’m glad you made it,” Maria said in a soft voice.

“Made it?”

“You always dreamed of being up among the stars.”

Carol put her hand over Maria’s. Something about Maria made everything about her feel just right. Gray images bubbled up and then floated away again. Carol felt so close to figuring it all out.

“I really did know you, didn’t I?” Carol asked.

Maria nodded and wiped at her eyes.

Carol cupped her cheek, and tilted Maria’s face so their gazes could meet.

“This is how it should be,” Carol said. “You fit me.” A missing piece of herself slotted back into place.

Maria took a deep breath and leaned towards Carol, stopping when their lips were almost touching.

“You’re alive,” Maria said. “I can’t believe you’re alive.”

Her lips were soft as they met Carol’s.

Something deep in Carol’s chest unknotted, and the memories of a thousand other kisses washed through her mind. She wrapped her arms around Maria. “I missed you. I didn’t even know it. You were what I was missing.” Carol kissed Maria’s lips, cheeks, jaw, forehead, and put a last one on her nose.

“I can’t remember everything, but I remember I love you.” Carol hugged Maria tighter.

“You had the stars, and you came back to me,” Maria whispered. “And you’ll fly away again, but all I know right now is that you’re alive and you found your way home.”

Carol pressed her lips to Maria’s again, tasting the salt from Maria’s tears.

How could she ever have forgotten this?

How had her brain lost its home when her body still remembered it?

She held Maria close. “I’m alive.”

* * *

**Space Kiss**

Maria blinked as Carol’s feet landed back on the metal decking of the freaking space-station orbiting earth. 

The love of Maria’s life was part alien now and all superhero.

That was a lot to take in.

Along with oh my god, they were in space.

Which had a lot more pinball machines and politics than she’d been led to believe.

Maria tried to catch her breath, but then the god damned cat ate the blue cube, and that was a bit much.

Fury walked off, muttering, and Maria turned to Carol. “Glowing looks good on you.”

“Higher, further, faster, baby,” Carol said. Her Carol. Memories intact and in love with Maria, Carol.

Wow.

Maria drew a finger down Carol’s arm. “And glowey-er.”

“I think I am Rudolph’s nose.”

Maria laughed, remembering kisses under the mistletoe from their last Christmas together. “Nah, you’re not a misfit toy. You didn’t just go to the stars. You became one.” Maria bit her lip. “It’s hot.”

“Yeah?” Carol grabbed the front of Maria’s shirt and pulled her into a kiss.

Maria felt it all the way to her toes, which curled.

“Guys,” Fury called. “Extreme danger, need to save the world.”

“He’s no fun,” Maria said, breaking the kiss.

“He’s right.”

“That doesn’t make him fun.”

* * *

**At Home Kiss**

Carol sighed in contentment. She was never going to get used to the humidity in Louisiana, but she’d brought home a couple of high-tech dehumidifiers for the house. They worked, unlike the ones Maria had gotten at Wal-Mart. 

The high-tech ones were small and efficient and kept the room from feeling like a sauna.

Carol was lying on her side, watching Maria sleep. Reaching out, Carol traced the words tattooed on Maria’s back. ‘Reach for the Stars’.

“When do you have to go?” Maria asked and yawned. Her eyes opened, and she blinked sleepily.

“Sooner than I want to, but not yet. I want to see Monica off on her first day of high school. I can’t believe how grown up she is.”

Maria smiled. “Tell me about it.”

Carol ran her finger over the script on Maria’s back again. “Does Fury ever ask if you’ve seen me?”

“He doesn’t ask.”

“And you don’t tell.”

Maria laughed. “But I think he knows you visit.”

Carol wiggled over until her entire body was against Maria’s. “He can’t keep me from coming home. And I’m sorry it’s not more often.”

“I know. I’d like it to be more often too, but I’m doing alright. So’s Monica. And you were always meant to be up there, flying amid the stars, being a hero.”

“You make me sound pretty cool, did you get hit over the head since the last time I was here?”

“You are cool.”

“Thank you, but you were the one I looked up to. The one who always had it together.”

Maria laughed and brushed her nose against Carol’s. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“I carry you with me, you know. Everywhere I go. To every planet, through every nebula. Maybe one day, when Monica goes off to college, I can show you.”

“I’d like that.”

Carol sighed softly as Maria kissed her, soft and deep. Maria rolled towards her and put a leg over Carol’s. Her fingers were gentle as she brushed the hair back from Carol’s face.

“I love you,” Maria said. “You’re my star who comes to earth.”

“And I love you.” Carol’s eyes slid closed. “You’re my home that makes my heart fly.”

The next kiss was warmer than the one before and more urgent.

It made Carol glow.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
